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Pussy Riot Claim Responsibility for Fans Running Onto World Cup Field

Katherine Barner is a news writer for Complex. She often writes about music, politics, film, and television.

Jul 15, 2018

Pussy Riot, the Russian protest collective and punk band, has claimed responsibility for four people who ran onto the field of Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow during the final World Cup match between France and Croatia.

In a statement on Twitter, the band wrote that the disruption was meant to draw attention to illegal arrests during protests, political prisoners, the disallowance of political competition in the country, and more. They referred to the protest as "policeman enters the game."

The statement read, "Today is 11 years since the death of the great Russian poet, Dmitriy Prigov. Prigov created an image of a policeman, a carrier of the heavenly nationhood, in the Russian culture." It went on to describe the differences between the "heavenly" policeman and "earthly" policeman, and discussed how the "earthly" policeman takes measures to "break our world apart." Pussy Riot also shared a video where members share their mission statement along with footage of the on-field incident. You can view it above

During the 52nd minute of the match, the four members of Pussy Riot simultaneously ran out onto the field, wearing old-fashioned police uniforms. They were quickly tackled to the ground by stewards, but not before one member managed to give the French star Kylian Mbappé a double high-five.

POST CONTINUES BELOW

The most iconic image of the World Cup - France's Kylian Mbappé high fiving a member of Pussy Riot after she broke onto the pitch to protest political oppression in Russia pic.twitter.com/cMJM0C1eCc

Pussy Riot is known for their political protests, and its members have been detained and arrested on multiple occasions. They have been an active group since 2011 and are especially outspoken against the administration of President Vladimir Putin. They gained international attention in 2012 after holding a protest performance in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.